Priyank Kharge's RSS diatribe: Ambition clothed in ideological loyalty?

Rural Development & Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister Priyank Kharge has sought to chisel out a sharp ideological position, aligned to the line pursued by the party high command, especially Rahul Gandhi, by opening up a confrontation with RSS. 

He has sought a ban on activities of the organisation on government premises. This comes amidst the power struggle in the state Congress.

By taking a clear and categorical line against the Sangh, Priyank, son of party president Mallikarjun Kharge, has not just put the ball in CM’s court by demanding direct action against the Sangh, but has also stepped out of the current cohort of CM aspirants, some of whom have been embroiled in controversies over their remarks on RSS.

“Priyank seems to be positioning himself as someone who is in sync with the party’s ideology. If the churn happens, he wants to be counted as a neutral, yet ideologically committed contender,” says a senior Congress leader in Delhi.

Activities have picked up in the state Congress, with a section rooting for the implementation of the much-discussed ‘power sharing arrangement’ between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar, once the Bihar elections are over.  

Amidst the alignments and adjustments being worked out in anticipation of a ‘November-kranti’ (revolution), the lineup for a compromise candidate in case of an impasse has grown with each passing day. 

If Congress decides to burnish its social justice plank amidst growing demand for appointing a Dalit CM, Gandhi family loyalists like Home Minister G Parameshwara would come into contention.

From the CM’s camp, Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa or PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi too would enter the fray. 

All three, Parameshwara, Mahadevappa and Jarkiholi, have been invited in the past few months, whenever MLAs from the CM’s camp have met. Priyank has been conspicuously absent at these meetings.

He has maintained equidistance from the camps of both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, taking a neutral position on power sharing. While others bicker over leadership, he’s sought to rake up ideological issues.

Interestingly, Mallikarjun Kharge was long in contention for the post of Karnataka chief minister.

With Siddaramaiah switching from JD(S) to Congress in 2006, Kharge senior had to shift base to Delhi. In the past, even he could have been a compromise candidate. Now in his mid-80s, that ship has sailed.

Priyank, who already holds two important portfolios (RDPR and IT&BT), has since tried to consolidate his position among the current lot of GenNext leaders of the Congress in the state.